Automobile vehicle



Feb; 17. 1925. 1,526,481

L. KRIEGER AUTOMOBILE VEHI CLE Filed July 920 5 Sheets-Sheet l Fig/l y Feb. A17. 1925.

1,526,481 L. KRIEGER l I AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE Filed July l, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

ATTO/"17161045 Feb. 17. 1925.

1,526,481 L. KRIEGER AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE Filed July l, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 6

A rofiwfrs Feb. 17. 192.5.

- 1,526,481 L. KR'EGER AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE Filed July l, 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

ATTORNEYS,

L. KRIEGER AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE rgb. 17. 1925.

Filed July l, 1920 ets-Sheet 5 1a/z Y Array/KEYS.

wards the outer is effected either ittZAl ice. l

LOUIS KBIEGER, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE.

Application led July 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis KBIEGER, of 3 Rue Ampre, Paris, France, engineer, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Vehicles, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specication.

This invention has for its object a. new

arrangement oi' chassis and means for suspending automobile vehicles.

According to this invention an automobile vehicle comprises a metal beam placed axially to the vehicle and suspension .ar rangements which allow said beam (formlng the chassis) to be supported elastically upon the wheels without the intermediary ot' axles.

The beam inv question may be hollow in the form of a gutter for example, and provided with suitable partitions and closed in such a manner that it may serve as a casing and support to all the mechanical parts of the vehicle which hitherto were enclosed in separate casings and supported by frame plates. l

ln particular if the vehicle were provided with an electric motor and a battery of accumulatore the battery may be placed either within the axial beam itself or on both sides of it so that it may be easily removable.

The suspension arrangements for the steering and the transmission gear may* be formed of one or more springs either superposed or arranged in the same horizontal plane; such springs being in sections or otherwise and connected to the beam in any suitable manner and to journals or supports for the wheel journals. One or more springs may be replaced by connecting rods jointed in a vertical plane lor by a jointed shaft of unvarying length for the driving control. ln all cases the jointed shafts may be provided with a strong metal casing of unvarying length and jointed spherically at both ends both to the journal and to the axial beam. The driving Cardan shaft may in this case if necessary be extensible.

The parts may be Iso arranged that dur-v ing an upward movement in which the carriage and the axial beam take an inclination, the wheels incline in opposite directions in such a manner that their point of Contact with the ground will be thrown topjortion of the curve; this more horizontal layers of one or more y arranging between the axial beam and the wheel journal one or 192D. Serial No. 393,410.

springs jointed to the journal made fast to the beam and having an outwardly turned concave portion or an inclined layer-of one or more convex springs and one or more jointed connecting rods crossing each other; or this may be efiected without jointing the springs to the journals, the springs being confined to a single layeroi: one or more springs in one or two tiers preferably placed below the wheel axis or a ain in the position of and in place of the o d wheel axles, the trlalnsverse jointed shafts being then extens1 e. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figures l and Q are respectively a side elevation and a plan of an axial beam; Figure 3 is a transverse section and partial elevation of the rear transmission gear; Figures 4 and 5 are transveise elevations of the rear transmission showing in the half portions to the right and left ol the axle a dierent method or' carry ing out the invention. In Figure 5 the invention is shown' applied to transmission gear having a demultiplying arrangement at the rear wheels. Figure 6 is a similar view in plan of the rear transmission gear; Figure 7 is a similar view in transverse elevation of the front. transmission gear; Figures 8 and 9 are end views and Figure l0 is a half elevation and halt plan of different modifications in the case of the nonarallelism of the wheels with the vertical p ane of the chassis during upward movement. Figure l1 is a. half end elevation, Figure l2 a side elevation and Figure 13 a corresponding half end elevation of two methods of arranging a battery of accumulatore upon the vehicle.

ln these figures a is the axial beam which may be in plan of a width equal to about one lifth of the track of the vehicle and of a height sufficient rigidly to support the load placed upon the vehicle.

This metal beam (which may be raised, soldered or cast or be made of any suitable metal) is in Figure 3 of a U or gutter shape so as to allow it to enclose the mechanism of the vehicle. It comprises for this purpose enlargements such as al (Figure 2) or such narrowings as may be judged necessary. Its vertical profile (Figure l) should be straight or preferably of a shape as to give equa resistance or it may be of any other suitable shape.

The front of the beam a may, for example,

lill) liti serve as a casing to the engine crank; its centre may enclose the change speed gear and its rear the drive gears of the wheels and the differential.

When a battery or accumulators fn is employed this may as show n in Figure 11 be enclosed within the axial beam, the wheels R being then supposed to be driven each by an electric motori rigidly fixed to the wheels which they drive through the intermediary of a demultiplying train j, cross pieces o resting upon the beam a support the body work C. The battery in this case occupies the whole or portion of the length of the beam which is free from all inside mechanism; the battery may easily be placed therein orbe removed therefrom at one or both of the ends by a mere push movement in one direction or the other. The battery may form a single entity or it maybe divided into parts. j

The battery of accumulators may as shown in Figures 12 and 13 easily be subdivided into four parts nl which rest and are fixed on both sldes 0f the beam a and may be hooked over the cross ieces o which support the body work In this case the battery parts are ut in position and removed by sliding t em on suitable supports (the steps having been removed if necessary) and by lifting or unhooking or vertically hooking the battery parts from or upon their supports.

All the steering parts, clutchv parts and braking tained within the beam or fixed to its walls.v lVaterti ht partitions arranged in any suitable positions and metal covers fixed tol the edges a of the beam allow the mechanisms to be placed in a bath of lubricant while adding to the strength of the assemblage.

Perpendicularly to the beam are arranged j suspension springs which may be arranged in diierent ways.

Thus with front transmission gear (Figure 7 two springs b1, b2, may be employed, arranged one above the other in a vertical plane on both sides of the beam upon which they are made fast at their centre (half elevation on the left ofFigure 7) or a single upper spring b1 may be employed and the lower sprin b2 replaced by a connecting rod 'c jointe in a vertical plane (half elevation on the right of Figure 7). rPhe springs are jointed at their ends to pivots or to supports d for the pivot of they wheels R of the vehicle. rlhe connecting rods o are jointed both to the supports for the Lpivot of the wheels and to the beam a.

The springs b1, b2 may be iii one or more With a rear transmission gear (Figures 34d) two s rings 62, arranged one above the other iii a vertical plane (Figure 3) may be employed; as with the front train,

arts may advantageously be con-4 these springs are jointed to prolongations d of the rear journals d which are shown hollow for a drive through Cardan joints e u but which with ldemultiplying gear on the wheel itself are made solid. A Cardan joint c is arranged both at the hub f and at the differential g located within the hollow beam a.

The two cardans e may be of unvarying length if their inclinations are in relation with the prolongation of the springs, the small dierence which may exist being then compensated by the longitudinalplay bei.

tween the journal and the hub.

As with the front transmission gear the lower spring b2 may be replaced for example by jointed connecting rods c (half eleva- (tion on the right of Figure 4). As with the front transmission gear also springs b1 b2 in one or more parts may be secured lto the beam a.. At the upper portion as at the lower portion the two springs shown in thehalf shafts c of unvarying length the in-V clinations of the wheels may be supported in all directions: this is the most economical solution.

When demultiplying members are present (as in Figure 5) upon the wheels the jointed half shafts which they drive should of course be. placed on the dia-meter opposite to that fixing the springs. 'This arrangement is applicable for the case of driving and steering wheels.

lf it is desired during upward movements that the Wheels shall incline in the opposite direction to the axial beam, the axial beam ct (half elevation on the left of Figure 8) may be connected to the wheel R by the jointed half shaft e and by an outwardly bent spring b1 made fast to the upper portion of the beam and jointed to the extension d of the wheel journal.

In the half elevation on the right in Figure 8 a convex spring b1 is employed and a jointed connecting rod c crossing it.

llO

ln the half elevation on the rightv of Figure 9 two'upper and lower springs 1, b2, of inverse curvature, are employed which are ixe'd to the beam a; and jointed to the wheeljournal a7),- each spring b1 b2 has its concave portion turned outwards.

ln these three cases the beam inclines about an imaginary perpendicular axis of rotation approximately at the centre of the springs lbut may be jointed vertically'.

, The arrangement above described may also be simplified by eliminating the joints at the ends of the springs and by supporting the journal only by a single horizontal layer of one or more springs; but in this case the transverse jointed half shafts and their casing should be extensible.

The half elevation onthe left of Figure 9 shows an arrangement of this type. The two ends of the spring b2 are made fast to the beam a and to the journal d. The spring is preferably placed below the axle of the wheel in order to avoid during any lateral stresses all bending of the master leaf which is reinforced for this purpose at its attachment to the journal. Springs provided with steps upon their two faces may be employed, the master leaf being ifdesired cut at the axis of the beam into two portions maintained together on the beam in a transverse and longitudinal direction The extensible jointed half shafts may be provided for chain drives or may drive demultiplying gear on the-wheel.. tion' of Figure 10 the spring b3 arranged as abovev is located in the position of the old axle of the vehicle. The master leaf` preferably cut into two pieces is then shaped at its ends to form aat b3 a journal and beginning from the bearing washer of the wheel decreases rapidly in size until it is of the thickness 1)3 provided for the master leaf. One or twol (one above and one below) steps p complete the moment of inertia necessary for the assembla e of this spring.

In plan (hal plan on Figure 10) the master leaf and the blades are progressively enlarged towards the centre of the spring 'but theyfmay also have a straight prole.

y In all cases the axial beam is made fast t0 such elastic axles of new type.

All the arrangements are applicable to transmission gear, steering gear or to transmission and steering gear. s

In all the arrangements which precede In the half elevaone or more springs may be replaced by connecting rods jointed in a vertical plane, but of course at least one spring per transmission gear must remain.

In all these arrangements also the springs may be provided with blades on both sides in order to act in both directions in this case the master leaf may be jointed at both ends in the case of the part springs mentioned above.

Two triangles formed of four bars b, (Figure 2) suitably jointed both to the journals or pivots of the wheel journals and to the beam a consolidate all the assemblage of the front and rear transmission gears and absorb shocks due to braking.

The employment per transmission gear of several springs in the same horizontal plane may allow the size of the bars to be diminished or even allow the removal of the bars.

It may be noted nally that the axial beam'a mayA stop eitherto the ri ht of the springs b1, 62 or a little beyon or after them according to the necessities of construction; it may be connected to the springs by any suitable arrangement.

What I claim is In an automobile, the combination with a metal beam placed axially of the vehicle and forming a chassis of transverse suspension means supporting the beam elastically upon the wheels without the intermediary of axles, said transverse suspension means comprising a transverse spring connected at its ends respectively to the beam and to the wheel journal, and a connecting bar attached at its ends respectively to said beam and wheel journal, said bar and spring being disposed in a diagonal or cross-wise relation with respect to one another. l

In testimon that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 16th day of June 1920.

LOUIS KRIEGER. 

